LEICESTER, Mass.- The Becker College baseball team swept their New England Collegiate Conference doubleheader against Southern Vermont with scores of 5-4 and 6-2. The sweep lifts the Hawks record to 11-11 (8-4 NECC), while the Mountaineers fall to 8-13 (3-5 NECC).

In game one, the Mountaineers jumped on the board in the top of the first when Chris Nicastro Jr. (Kenilworth, N.J.) hit a solo homerun over the left field fence.

The Hawks responded in the bottom of the second when senior Taylor Kapulka (Worcester, Mass.) belted a two-run homerun over the left field fence to give Becker a 2-1 advantage.

In the bottom of the third, freshman Chris Testa (Providence, R.I.) led off the inning with a triple into left. Matt Consigli (Whitinsville, Mass.) brought home Testa with a single through the left side, making the score 3-1.  After a stolen base and wild pitch advanced Consigli to third, Tom Natoli (Suffern, N.Y.) hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, upping the Hawks lead to 4-1.

In the top of the fifth the Mountaineers would tie the game at 4-4. Sal Sciara (Massapequa, N.Y.) led off the inning with a single. After Sciara stolen second, a Becker fielding error put runners on the corners with one out. RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, N.Y.) cut the Moutaineers deficit to 4-2 when he hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, allowing Sciara to scamper home from third. After Cody LaBadia (Howes Cave, N.Y.) singled up the middle, Roland Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) tied the game with a two run double.

With the scored tied in the bottom of the seventh, pinch hitter Niko Bedell (Manorville, N.Y.) led off the inning with a single up the middle. After a wild pitch allowed pinch runner Keon Jenkins (Nashua, N.H.) to advance to second, Matt Consigli gave the Hawks a dramatic walk-off win with single into left field.

Becker starter Nick Lemay (Oxford, Mass.) earned the victory after allowing just one earned run in seven innings of work. Freshman Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) took the loss for the Mountaineers.

In game two, Southern Vermont took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Chris Nicastro Jr. hit a double into left field, scoring Sal Sciara from second base.

The Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the third when Chris Testa doubled home classmate T.J. Sempkowski (Oceanport, N.J.).

In the bottom of the fourth the Hawks took a 2-1 lead when a balk allowed senior Mike Marcello (West Haven, Conn.) to advance home from third base.

Southern Vermont tied the game in the top of the fifth when Chris Nicastro Jr. hit his second homerun of the day.

In the bottom of the fifth the Hawks were able to get some breathing room when they put three runs on the board. With runners on second and third, Matt Consigli drove in Chris Flanders (Londonderry, N.H.) from third base with a sharp single to right field. Mike Marcello gave Becker a 5-2 lead when he roped a double into the right centerfield gap, scoring Chris Testa and Consigli.

A Chris Testa sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth gave Becker the 6-2 victory. Keon Jenkins was credited with the win after allowing two runs on six hits in five innings of work. Freshman Tyler Wagar (Uxbridge, Mass.) preserved the victory with two scoreless innings of relief. Kurt Kowalczyk (Amsterdam, N.Y.) suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs in six innings.

The two teams will play the final game of the three game series tomorrow at Rochdale Park beginning at noon.